After numerous album title changes and approximately three years of waiting, Kanye West, the man we love to hate, released his highly anticipated album The Life Of Pablo (TLOP) exclusively on struggling streaming service Tidal. While the streaming app jumped to #1 on iTunes’s most downloaded list following the album release, TLOP has also reportedly been illegally downloaded over one million times.
Kanye built up the hype for the album when he tweeted “This is not album of the year. This is album of the life” a few weeks prior to the album’s release. This begs the question: Did the album live up to the hype? Well, that depends on who you ask. Some call it a revolutionary masterpiece while others call it offensive and self-important, and I will call it a combination of all of these things and beyond; an esoteric exclamation of complexity.
The album kicks off with arguably the best track on it, “Ultralight Beam.” It radiates a gospel ambiance, eliciting a spiritual experience similar to that of “Jesus Walks." The soulfulness of the choir catapults the listener back in time to Kanye’s 2010 masterpiece, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Just when you think the song can’t get any better, Chance The Rapper chimes in with arguably the best feature on a Kanye album (the other contender being Nicki Minaj’s verse on “Monster”, of course).
There are pros and cons of starting an album with a strong opener like this one. On my first listen, I was struck by the spirituality and the flawless execution of the track, which set high expectations for what the rest of the album would hold.
The rest of the album is all over the place, in the best way possible. An active listener will find glimpses of Kanye’s multiple personalities while simultaneously catching a sneak peek of his futuristic visions. Kanye’s synthesis of the glory-filled sound that popularized him in the first place (like "Stronger" from Late Registration or "Monster" from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy), and his more modern persona, Yeezus, is what makes this album so fascinating. For example, the track “Father Stretch My Hands” is divided into two contrasting parts. Kid Cudi's feature on “Gorgeous” on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was a highlight of that album, and lucky for us, he returns on Father Stretch My Hands Part 1 with a contagious hook that leaves us wanting more. Despite Yeezy’s distasteful bars about “bleach”, this song is almost flawless and much credit goes to Metro Boomin, the virtuoso who has also produced for the likes of Drake and Future. Part 2, on the other hand, goes in a different direction, being more of a hard-hitting, club anthem; the song features a sample of, new G.O.O.D. music signee, Desiigner’s “Panda”.
As I ventured deeper into the track list, I noticed a pattern in certain songs, specifically “Freestyle 4” and “Feedback”, that evoke the same raw and alternative synth sounds found on Kanye’s last album Yeezus. The sheer aggressiveness of the backing beats barely fits with the theme of the album and makes the otherwise strong songs seem out of place. It truly seems that this album is a compilation of Kanye’s past albums as well as an integration of new sounds. He incorporates that emotional 808’s & Heartbreak sound, notably found on “FML”, the most vulnerable we see Kanye on TLOP. Kanye departs from his megalomaniacal character and comes back down to earth much like he does in “Welcome to Heartbreak” and on 808’s in general.
While the production on this album is especially remarkable, the lyrics are surprisingly lacking. West’s lyricism on this piece of work are contradictory; one minute he’s proclaiming his raw emotions about struggling with fame on “Real Friends,” and the next shouting misogynistic slurs on “Freestyle 4.” This blend of vulnerability and bravado is what makes Kanye, Kanye.
This is emphasized further on Kanye’s witty spoken-word titled “I love Kanye” which reveals his self-awareness about how the public perceives him while simultaneously telling his fans that he’s not going to stop being himself; certainly a step in the right direction for Mr. West.
On his more upbeat bangers, it is evident that West is at a loss for profundity, therefore resorting to insensitive remarks; notably found on “Famous” in which Kanye claims he “made that bitch (Taylor Swift) famous.”
The Life Of Pablo’s strengths can’t all be attributed to Kanye. Although he and his production crew really delivered on the beats for this album it was really the various collaborators who created fluidity in Kanye's new story. Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Frank “WHERE’S THE ALBUM” Ocean, and Chance The Rapper are amongst the many who joined Kanye on this storytelling journey. Without these features, the album would be lacking the crucial elements that this diverse medley of artists brings to the table.
Those who closely followed the lead-up to this album know how disorganized and seemingly hurried West was in the process. Kanye attributed the late release to Chance The Rapper’s insisting that the song “Waves” make the final cut: another grandiose song featuring a catchy Chris Brown hook that the album would be incomplete without. Why Kanye almost named his album “Waves” but hesitated to put the incredible song on the album, will remain simply another mystery of Kanye.
This album might be the first Kanye album released that’s just an album and not an attempt to redefine the rap game as he’s done with just about every other album. If every song on the album had the same degree of enthusiasm and production as “Ultralight Beam”, I would undoubtedly give TLOP a 10/10, but as I continued listening, my intrigue fizzled and I felt slightly let down due to the standards set by “Ultralight Beam” which were quite impossible to live up to.
Nevertheless, The Life Of Pablo is filled with numerous uniquely astounding tracks that are reminiscent of the soul-Kanye that we all know and love. Kanye is renowned for his authenticity and his ability to keep haters and fans alike intrigued by his enigmatic works of art. Art is meant to be abstract, misunderstood and challenged. Therefore, I challenge you all to, in the words of Kanye on “Feedback”, “Name one genius that ain’t crazy.”
